


At the Killik Ball

by janiejanine



Category: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 15:10:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1653041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janiejanine/pseuds/janiejanine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gold membrosia is a lot stronger than it sounds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the Killik Ball

**Author's Note:**

> Vector/Imperial Agent, "Drink Me".

_It seemed like a good idea at the time._  That was the only excuse that Cipher Nine, Imperial Intelligence's top operative, could come up with for finding herself drunk, maudlin, and surrounded by dancing bugs.

An agent had to be open to new experiences, she told herself. If the killiks invited her to a celebration, it was her duty to go. It had nothing whatsoever to do with her companion.

There wasn't much conversation, as was only to be expected with a species that communicated telepathically, but the singing was surprisingly beautiful, and the food was actually rather good. So were the drinks.

"Gold membrosia" sounded so soft and sweet, like something you'd sip at the end of a formal dinner. In reality, it packed a punch that could drop a bantha.

She squeezed her eyes shut. This was embarrassing. Holding her liquor was part of her  _job_ , for kark's sake; she could match a target drink for drink until they spilled any information she wanted, but she'd never encountered anything like this.

Bug milk. Who would've thought it?

She took another drink. It was thick, like honey, and pleasantly spicy. She wondered what the killiks tasted when they drank it.

Vector hadn't left her side all night, sticking close to explain anything that was culturally significant. It was kind of him, but, she supposed, it wasn't much of an inconvenience when one could speak to anyone simply by thinking at them. Still, she appreciated the effort, and she was taking the opportunity to steal little glances at him when no one was looking. They'd gotten less and less subtle as the evening went on, but she'd lost the ability to care somewhere around the fourth cup. Especially since, more often than not, he was glancing back.

She could  _tell_ when he was looking at her, even without pupils.

That--actually, all of it--had taken some getting used to. Vector was odd. But then,  _she_ was odd. Her entire life was odd. In a way, it made perfect sense.

A relationship with him meant millions of insectoids coming along for the ride, but that was all right. If anyone could sympathize with having voices in your head, she could. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

She stared into her cup. Being with Vector always made her feel a little off-kilter, and the drink just magnified it. Perhaps if she stood very still, no one would notice.

She wasn't sure how long she watched the shining contents of her cup slosh from side to side, but it must have been a while, because when she looked up, she met Vector's gaze, his brows drawn together with concern. "Agent, are you all right? Your aura is flickering."

"Is it?" she replied vaguely.

"Yes. And your pheromones are...unusual."

She fought the absurd urge to giggle. "I'm afraid I'm compromised."

"So we see." He held out a hand. "Perhaps we should get back to the ship."

"That's a good plan." She drew a deep breath to compose herself and took his arm, trying not to lean on him too heavily.

"Vector?" she said.

"Yes, Agent?"

"What does membrosia taste like to you?"

He paused and considered before replying. "Sunlight. Dew. The grasses of Alderaan. It tastes of the spawnworld; all killiks know it, even those who have never seen it."

"That sounds lovely." Navigating under her own steam was too much effort, so she gave up and rested her head on his shoulder.

"It is difficult to explain to those outside of the nest."

"Shame," she murmured into his sleeve. "I can't see myself Joining, but sometimes it sounds a bit tempting."

"You are as you are. We wouldn't wish you to be otherwise."

"Was that a compliment?"

"It was meant as one." He smiled. "Our apologies. We aren't as good at them as we once were."

"You're doing just fine. Please, continue," she said. While she knew, intellectually, that he was just as much human as killik, it could be easy to forget. When he smiled, the man he had been shone through, and he was even more appealing.

The cool night air was clearing her head. She could feel herself starting to sober up, and for all she knew Vector could smell the change, but she didn't move away. Tomorrow would bring new problems. Soon she'd sink back into work. Until then, she had no intention of letting go.


End file.
